NYERGESUJFALU, Hungary (AP) — Like death itself, this was no joke.
A grave-digging contest in a Hungarian cemetery may sound like the opening line of a comedy sketch. It proved to be anything but as 38 competitors grabbed picks and shovels on Saturday.
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The Hungarian Association of Cemetery Maintainers and Operators organizes the contest to showcase the grave-digging trade and its skills, and shake off death-related taboos.
The dry summer-baked soil in the public cemetery in Nyergesújfalu, northern Hungary, proved a worthy adversary for the 19 two-man teams. They huffed and puffed and sweated as they raced for the title of quickest-dug and most stylish grave.
“Speed is the main thing here, not the beauty,” said Róbert Nagy, the victor with his teammate László Kiss.
“When you have to dig a grave for a funeral, you have to be very careful about the exact dimensions and to make sure that it is beautifully carved.”
Their winning time was 1 hour, 21 minutes, digging to contest specifications of graves 1.6 meters (5½ feet) deep, 2 meters (6½ feet) long and 0.8 meters (2.6 feet) wide.
They shared a cash prize of 200,000 Hungarian forints (about $640).
